Ironing board leg and brace structure



April 8-- E. c.' BOOTH 2,439,769

' IR'0'fiINe BOARp LEG AND BRACE STRUCTURE Filed April 9, 1945' 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORQ 159 91. CZ Boar/5 April 13, 1948. E. c. scion-1I ,75

IRONING BOARD LEG AND BRACE STRUCTURE I Filed April 9, 1945 2Sheets-Sheet 2 11 INVENTOR.

Patented Apr. 13, 1948 UNIT ED ATENT OFFICE 224391769" IRoNING BOARD LEGA NiJ B'RIACE STRUCTURE Earl G. Booth; Golumbus, Ind, asslgnor-toNobutt-Sparks Industries, Inc. Columbus, In'di, a corporation of-Indiana Application April 9 1945, SerialNo. 587,366

My invention relates to an ironing board and has for its object theprovision of a collapsible" iron'ing-board support which will be strongand rigid when extended and which can be simply and economicallymanufactured from metal parts. In carrying out my invention in itspreferred form I form the support with two rear legs and one front leg,all pivoted to the ironing-board top on transverse axes near the rearend thereof. The front leg comprises two telescoping parts the inner oneof which is pivotally connected to the top as just indicated and theouter one of which is connected by one set of links to the rear legs andby another set of links to the top. Latch means acting between thetelescoping parts of the front leg serves to hold the support inextended condition.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my" in vention:

Fig. l; is a side elevation of the board in extended condition; Fig. 2is an elevation showing the ironing board top in vertical position withthe support collapsed and the legs disposed adjacent the lower surfaceof the top; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the ironing board with the topin vertical position and the support partially" extended; and Fig. 4 isa fragmental sectiofi illustrating a detail of construction.

The ironing-board top H), which may be constructed in any desiredfashion, has secured to its lower surface near its rear corners a pairof brackets H to which rear legs 12 are respectively pivoted. The frontleg of the ironing board comprises inner and outer telescoping parts isand M respectively. The inner telescoping part l3 which is desirablyformed of metal tubing, is pivotally attached to the top I through themedium of a bracket l5 mounted on the longitudinal center line of thetop near the rear end thereof.

The outer telescoping part M of the front leg, which is also desirablyof metal tubing, carries a collar I5 to which there is pivotallyattached one end of each of a pair of links I! the opposite ends ofwhich are pivotally connected respectively to th rear legs l2. Alsopivotally connected to the collar it are a second pair of links l8 whichdiverge from each other for pivotal attachment to brackets l9 locatednear the side edges of the top at points spaced well forwardly from therear end thereof.

In the specific construction illustrated, the links l8 are formed of asingle strip of sheet metal the center portion of which is benttransversely into an arcuate journal-forming crosssection as indicatedat 22, and the collar I6 is 5 claims. (Cl. 38-'-=-117) 2 provided withan ear 23- bent to embrace and rotatably support the jellrfiall 22. Desiably} eachendof the strips frofn which the links" I 8 are formedis bentinto a general U-s'hape' as ind'i cat'e'd at 211 in Fig; 2. The parallellegs on each U-sha'pedportion 20 are" received between earson theassociated bracket i 9 and erforated for the reception: of a pivotpih 21extending also through ears on such bracket. Thisarrangemerit in effectprovides an extended bearingfor the pivotal connection between each linkl'8- and the ironing-board top and thus makes f or' rigidity when thesupport is extended. Pivotally connected toeacn of-th'e-re'ar legs I? isa brace 24 which extends obliquely into association with the bracket i lon the opposite side- 'of the; top; the brace being connected tosuchbracket by a pivotpin or bolt 25. Conveniently,

the brace 24 and link" l 'l' associated with each of the rear legs l2-are pivotallyconfiected thereto by a common pivot pin or bolt 26.

As will be clear frointh'e drawings, the support as describedcan becollapsed against the lower surface of the top as indicated in Fig. 2 orextended into operative position as" indicated- Fig. 1. As the legsswingfrom collapsed to exwnded position, the Olltl'" part I 4 0f the frontleg slides inwardly on the innerpar t l3;- To hold the outer part M inits innermost position with respect to the inner part It I employ alatch 30 which is pivotally mounted within the part l3 by a pivot pin 3|located near the inner end of the part IS. The latch 30 extendsoutwardly along the axis of the part 13 and has at its free end a hookadapted to enter and engage a slot 32 in the wall of the outer part 14.The pivot pin 3| may extend outwardly beyond the sides of the innerleg-part l3 to engage the end of the part l4 and thus limit outwardswinging of the legs.

To extend the support from the collapsed condition illustrated in Fig.2, the free ends of the legs are moved away from the top to and throughthe positions illustrated in Fig. 3. In this movement, as previouslynoted, the outer part 14 of the front leg slides inwardly on the innerpart. When the legs reach fully extended position the latch 30, which isbiased outwardly by the force of gravity, engages the slot 32 and thusreleasably holds the parts of the support in extended condition. Whenengagement of the latch occurs, the board may be rotated about thepoints of engagement between the rear legs and the floor into theposition shown in Fig. 1.

To collapse the board, the last mentioned rotation is reversed until therear end of the board engages the floor and rotation is thereaftercontinued until the latch 30 passes through and beyond a verticalposition. The force of gravity acting on the latch will then cause it todrop out of engagement with the slot 32 and permit the legs tobe swungagainst the lower surface of the top as indicated in Fig. 2.

I claim as my invention:

, 1. In an ironing board, a top, front and rear legs pivotally mountedon said top for swinging movement about adjacent transverse axes, saidfront leg comprising a pair of tubular telescoping parts, the inner oneof said telescoping parts being pivotally mounted on said top one.transverse axis, links connecting the outer of said telescoping partswith said rear legs and with said top, said links extending oppositelyfrom said front leg and being so constructed and arranged that the legsmay swing from substantially coplanar positions adjacent the lowersurface of the top to extended positions in which they are adapted tosupport the top in operative position while the outer of saidtelescoping parts, during such swinging, slides inwardly on the innertelescoping part, and a, latch pivoted within the inner telescoping partand projecting through an opening in the wall thereof and engageablewith the outer telescoping part to hold the legs in extended position.

2. In an ironing board, a top, front and rear legs pivotally mountedonsaid top for swinging movement about adjacent transverse axes, saidfront leg comprising a pair of telescoping parts, the inner one of saidtelescoping parts being pivotally mounted on said top on a transverseaxis,

links connecting the outer of said telescoping,

parts with said rear legs and with said top, said links extendingoppositely from said front leg and being so constructed and arrangedthat the legs may swing from substantially coplanar positions adjacentthe lower surface of the top to extended positions in which they areadapted to support the top in operative position while the outer of saidtelescoping parts, during such swinging, slides inwardly on the innertelescoping part, and a latch mounted on the inner telescoping part andengageable with the outer telescoping part to hold the legs in extendedposition.

3. The invention set forth in claim 2 with the addition of meanslimiting inward movement of the outer telescoping part on the innerpart.

4. The invention set forth in claim 2 with the addition that the linksconnecting the outer of said telescoping parts with said top comprise asingle strip of metal having a center portion bent into arcuatecross-section to form a journal, the portions of said strips on oppositesides of said journal diverging from each other to their points ofpivotal mounting on said top, said outer telescoping part being providedwith a bracket embracing said journal.

5. In an ironing board having a top and a collapsible support therefor,a link formed of a fiat metal strip having two diverging portions and anintegral intermediate portion interconnecting said diverging portionsand bent into arcuate cross section to form a, journal, saidintermediate portion of arcuate cross-section extending generally in theplane of said two diverging portions the outer ends of said divergingportion being pivotally connected to one part of said ironing board andsaid journal being pivotally connected to another part of the ironingboard, said pivotal connections being on parallel axes.

EARL c. BOOTH.

REFERENCES orrnn The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,208,338 Levedahl Dec. 12, 19161,343,356 Doe June 15, 1920 1,458,314 Adams June 12, 1923 1,545,418Forbes July 7, 1925 1,573,691 Eichberg Feb. 16, 1926 1,792,969 DePenning Feb, 17, 1931 1,895,164 Kalgren Jan. 24, 1933 1,987,767 BeigerJan. 15, 1935 2,176,302 Howe Oct. 17, 1939 2,179,582 Wiley Nov. 14, 19392,352,389 Keller June 27, 1944 2,249,983 Sadenwater July 22, 1941

